Sunday, May 17, 2015

Grafting Persimmons

I was grafting persimmons today.

Jerry Lehman of Terra Haut, Indiana sent me a care package of scion wood. I told him what I had and what I was trying to do.

He sent me scion wood of experimental varieties with names like H-120, I-94 (a freeway in Michigan!), I-115, K-6 and K-103. He sent me scionwood of "Lena", aka, Michellena. The experimental varieties are out of a breeding program started by James Claypool in St Elmo, Illinois. Detailed records HERE.

He also sent me scion wood of a variety that I am struggling to decode.

Is it WS13-10M?

Or is it W01-E15M?

I was under the impression that it is a male but the fruit stems look like female to me.

Tree Frogs

I did not take the camera out with me while I was grafting. Grafting is not very photogenic.

While walking back from grafting I was checking out some Illinios Everbearing Mulberry I had grafted earlier this year. I was stripping off the shoots on the understock hoping to get the scions to push. Growing shoots generate growth regulators that suppress other buds from pushing. Stripping shoots that are NOT on the scion is just part of the maintenance of grafting.